Paradise
by MiaAndOak
Summary: THIS STORY HAS BEEN CANCELLED.
1. Chapter 1 The Beginning

**A/N:** So, as you may know I am giving Botox to my stories. Giving them a new face, I mean. Staring off with Paradise and Just Maybe, I am going to try and update every other day until they are completely revised. Right now I can barely look at them. Actually, I cannot even proof read them sometimes. I don't know why, but I never want to read my stories. Reviews are cherished though dolls! Dolls… Huh… Sorry about that! This is just a prologue.

**Inspiration: **Again, my mind is an abyss.

**Dedication(s): **This counts for every piece or writing, every word, every letter and every breath I take while of this website. Everything I do is for you guys. Even living! To you, who is sitting at your computer maybe even a few hours away from me. To you, who is across the globe but still reading this. To you, who has given up all hope on living. To you, who is cherished and loved by me. Never give up on yourselves. It is cliché, but I cry almost every time I read a review. People like me? People actually appreciate me, even though they have never met me? It is something I can never get over. If it were possible, I would come to each of you and thank you separately. Listen to me, and listen well. You are worth it. You are worth every step you take, and every moment you are alive. Your beauty is beyond comprehension. Excuse my language, but f*ck the haters! Screw the tiny flaws that you think you have. I will always be here for you guys. To my friends, and my family.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own HoA, SHINee or the 2012 MAMA's.

**SIDE FREAKING NOTE:** Don't even think about hating. I am in a bad mood. Do you want to know why? Because SHINee is now second in Best Male Dance Performance in the 2012 MAMA's. I feel alone with no friends and now this. THIS!

**If you want to make me happy, vote for them in the 2012 MAMA's. ~hehe~ No but legit, I am sad, angry and hurt.**

. . . . . .

Paradise

Chapter One

. . . . . .

She plopped down into the cold sand, while her hair was let down. The salty smell of the ocean seemed to always calm the pre-teen Nina Martin. Growing up in Maryland, the beach was always close by*. It was like a shower to her, being the place where she could freely think, while not being seen by others.

A soft breeze caused her to wrap the thin blanket around her tighter. The wrap belonged to her mother, Cheyenne. She and her husband Grady were hit by a truck and killed instantly. Nina was only a child then and moved in with her Grandmother, or 'Gran' as the brunette liked to call her.

The eleven year old blinked a few times and let sand run through her fingers. Her classmates constantly teased her. It had a massive impact on her. When Nina was four years old, she was diagnosed with Manic Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety disorder*. Medication and therapy were a part of her daily lifestyle.

Daily, she was called names. Orphan, loner, ugly, fat and so on. It occasionally became physical. Nina tried to report it, but the teachers quote, '"Never saw it."

Her tutor and a first grade teacher was her closest friend. The girl would eat lunch with Mrs. Parlor every day. To her, it was the mother she never had. Nina would make up excuses constantly to go down to the woman and talk to her, while enjoying candy and juice. The teacher never minded, and liked the company.

Her eyelids began to close as she hummed along to a lullaby that her mother sang to her every night.

'_Nina, please take care, and never forget to smile. Someday you'll become someone you always wanted to be, and where you can to what you want to do. That place is paradise. Someday you will be free.'_

No matter what happened to her, Nina never doubted her mother's words. Not when she broke her leg by jumping off a swing, or when the most popular boy in class rejected her. It was a tune that always cheered her up and never failed to bring a smile to her face.

She began to sway, until finally she laid down and looked at the stars. Her family was up there. She knew that the brightest star were her parents smiling down on her.

Most people in her life seemed to be coming and going.

'Am I just a stage that everyone forgot about? Was I just a stepping stone in someone's life?' Her best friend had turned her back on her more than once. When you only have one friend though, you will begin to ignore the mistakes. Her parents were gone and the school was against her besides a teacher. Everyone was soon fading away and there was nothing Nina could do to prevent it.

A sudden wave hit her legs, making a shiver go up her spine. Getting up she placed the blanket on the stairs up to her home. It connected straight to the beach. She tip toed into the sea and dove under.

Although it was night, Nina had done this a million times. She had been caught in riptides and under toes and escaped by herself. Sharks never worried her. They probably should but Nina never saw the threat. Gran consistently worried for her for a while and then soon gave in to the midnight swimming.

A shell was felt underneath the hazel eyed girl. She scooped it up along with some sand. Stepping out of the water and taking her blanket, she hiked up the red wooden steps. Kathryn or Gran was making lasagna.

"Nina! You must be freezing. It's the middle of winter! Come and I'll give you some cocoa." The petite lady rushed to fetch new clothing and blankets. Nina just laughed.

"Gran, I am used to the cold. I have think blood."

"Well I for sure don't! Florida was nice and warm."

"Mm. We should go visit sometime. I want to see some palm trees and drink that orange juice you always talk about."

"It is good! All homemade and still sold in stores. But it's not all about palm trees you know."

The pre-teen let out another laugh. "I'm just teasing."

The lady ruffled her granddaughter's hair, but then made a face from the damp and salty hair.

Nina took the blankets from Gran along with the hot chocolate. While waiting for the lasagna, they began a game of checkers. They both loved to spend time with each other. Computers and other electronics came after family. Nina had realized that after her parents had passed.

The smell from the oven brought Gran over to check on the meal. It was done cooking. Salad and fruit was also brought to the table. The two ate and talked about the upcoming play that Nina was a part of. She only participated a few times but it was good enough for her.

After cleaning the dishes, the brunette showered and let the salt and sand run down the drain. She quietly hummed to herself.

Her hair was tangled, but the conditioner made it easy to brush through when she was done.

Looking in the mirror, Nina studied her flaws. She wanted to learn to accept them and move on, but people made it hard. How could you forget your mistakes and imperfections when they are pointed out each day?

She sighed and wrapped a towel around her thin frame and quickly changed into her pajamas. The down comforter brought warmth and soon she fell into a peaceful rest.

. . . . . .

First *: Yes, this is an actually disorder. It is not simple to diagnose. You can't just go to a doctor and get blood taken or something. It doesn't make you have flu-like symptoms. I saw a story where a doctor did that and I was deeply offended. "I have depression" is much different than "I am depressed." It's not a joke.

Second *: I don't live in Maryland. You will never find me. Santa Claus' workshop is in the middle of nowhere, so don't even try.


	2. Chapter 2 Gray

**Hi everyone! I am on my way to my Aunt's in the car, and have Oak right next to me! For those who are new to my writing, I have a pillowpet named Oak, hence the name MiaAndOak. The roads are a bit bumpy, but I will do my best to write properly and beta.**

**To answer your many questions, yes I was bullied and abused. Honestly, not as severe as Nina (crawling, being left alone) but mostly true. I was definitely hurt a lot, physically and mentally. This chapter is especially heavy on my heart, and totally true. It will explain itself as you read.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own House of Anubis, nor anything mention in my story beside my ideas. Erm… not ideas… but my happenings.**

**OOOOO**

**OOO**

**O**

I stared out the barred window, dreaming of the outdoors. I sighed heavily, letting my breath out but not my glumness nor pain. Shivers traveled from my toes to my scalp as I recalled the days before my imprisonment.

Loser.

Idiot.

Fat.

Ugly.

Stupid.

Retarded.

Worthless.

And maybe the worst of all,

Orphan.

Those are the words that pierced my heart, and the ones that had made me threaten to commit suicide. * I was already registered in the hospital for my injuries. My head was cracked along with my rib. My rib had a splinter that got dangerously close to my lung, provoking the pain and blood. My leg was (A.N._ Oh crap. My mom just got us pulled over. It's not like some guy that just passed us was going was faster at about 90 m.p.h. Oh good, just a warning. Haha… the guy was like, "******* isn't going anywhere." No really? I blocked out the state name.) Gushing blood, and I had to have an infusion. My arm was broken.

After what I threatened to do, they sent me to the psychiatric section. At ten years old, this was like a death sentence.

So there I was, sitting in my single bed, square. It had gray walls, a plain wooden bed with thin, white sheets, and a small matching wood dresser. The floors were white tiles, with one window that was barred with thick steel posts, in the color (surprise surprise) gray.

The security was tight. You had to have your door open at all times, and you must go to the bathroom to change. The bathroom was split into three rooms, one with a sink and toilet, one with a tub, and the other included a shower. Unfortunately, my other 'roommates' weren't so clean, and there was hair and old shampoo everywhere. One kid always peed in the shower and it stunk. I showered as least as possible, and always with shoes on.

The meals were standard. There was a cafeteria, but very outdated. In fact, the whole hospital was outdated. They must have not touched furniture or a can of paint for a while.

I had to go to school, twice a day. But it wasn't bad, because I went to a private, Catholic school. I was given multiplication sheets, but I scoffed at those. I was learning more advanced topics, like algebra actually. Mostly I just painted.

The kids were mostly teenagers. They conversed among themselves. They sat together at lunch, and I sat alone. I didn't mind though, I did it everyday at school anyways. I overheard their stories. Some got pregnant and had kids, one could not control how much she ate, and some else were cutting. If you did cut, you could not wear short-sleeved shirts. Luckily, I didn't.

Group exercises were the worst. They were always such awkward things, like writing out our name a bunch of times. Then they had us work on something for a long time, and then had us tear it up and throw it out.

I was assigned a doctor, and met with him two times a day. He was African, with a thick accent and dark skin. His name was Doctor Shabid. The man was in his 50's, married, with two children.

After about two weeks in 'prison' I finally talked to him about going home. I missed Gran. I hadn't seen her in a while. He compromised with me, by having me go out to dinner and home for a few hours per day. I also had to go on more medication.

Medication. I didn't make me very happy to think about. At 1st grade, my parents realized that I wasn't acting like a normal child. They had me examined, and doctors diagnosed me with Anxiety and Depression disorder. That changed my life. I had to take four pills three times a day. A few years later, my dosage tripled when they passed.

I was an optimistic child, even though I suffered everyday. Going to school was like going through hell. I didn't want to go. I tried every option to get out of it. Playing sick, running away, hiding, moving furniture to block my door and so on. However, I noticed that it took a toll on Gran. So, I went to school without hesitation from about midyear of 2nd grade, only taking a few days where I was really sick.

I tried to tell the teachers, but since they claimed they never saw it, I had to live with it. I came home with a new, fresh bruise a few days a week. I hid my scars well, blaming it on my own fault. They were not severe enough since my bully was weak to file a domestic abuse case. Alexandra also threatened to kill me if I told anyone. I was hard to live with a death threat over my head at such a young age.

I bit my lip, coming back to reality. I just got back from lunch with Gran, and then was sent to my room for 'nap time.'

The gray enclosure was certainly _not _Paradise.

**OOOOO**

**OOO**

**O**

**Please review! It shows me you care, and gets out the next chapter more quickly! Thanks so much! Happy New Year!**


	3. Chapter 3 Airplane Chicken

**Hi everyone! Let's get into the story today, but a few quick things.**

**1. To my best friend Bubbles, if you are reading this, you rock!**

**2. This is about 72 words short, so I am sorry. **

**3. I do not own HOA. **

I spotted her shadow in the heavy snow.

"_Gran!" _I cried, running into her warm arms. I sniffled, not from crying (I don't cry), but from the cold. Okay… I was… my eyes were getting cold… the snow melted on my face…

"Oh Nina honey. How are you baby?" She cooed, making my heart swell a little. Her velvety voice comforted my soul. I felt at home, even in this dark building. Gran took my bags, signed some papers, and we hopped in the car, driving off in the snow away from the hospital.

I took a deep breath, trying not to hyperventilate. As I walked up the tile stairs bordered with maroon, I pondered on what their expressions would be. What _her _expression would be. I didn't look too good. My arm was in a cast and sling, and my face had a long scar traveling down it. Also, my hair had been shaved a little to have surgery on my head, so I was wearing extensions. Thankfully, my hair matched perfectly with #12.

I cannot say I didn't look horrible either. The school had made an exception on makeup. I was allowed to wear some to cover up my scar. I had gone to Macy's and the doctor to see what would be allowed. The woman at the store had been very gracious to me after hearing my story, and let me take the foundation and cover-up free. Gran has her number.

I opened the door leading to my classroom. A few people looked up; Cassidy, Aurora, and David. They all looked down quickly though. My heart sank as I realized the class did not miss me. I sat down in my seat, the second one in the middle row. A stack of papers towered on the surface. I quickly put away my stuff, and got working on the math paper. Well, papers.

I snapped out of my dreams as the plane hit a slice of turbulence. I had tried not to think of Alexandra. I prayed that there wouldn't be a girl like her at LBS

LBS was the new school I was attending. Liverpool Boarding School. Pretty boring name if you ask me. Especially Liverpool. What kind of name is that? Maybe the people who started it really liked Liver. And pools. I was excited though. A new school to me equaled a new beginning. It was only last year that I decided to leave my old school.

The plane was dark, except for a few TV screens playing music, movies, or games. The games were suckish however, the touch screen didn't respond quickly. Bowling was a disaster. And when I say disaster, I mean disaster.

I glanced over at the young man next to me. He had brown hair, neither dark nor light, and grey eyes. He had introduced himself as Chad. Sounds like a name for a handsome guy, right? He was very good looking. We had talked for a bit before I fell asleep. I woke up a few minutes ago.

Chad was sliding his credit card, or his parents (he looked about 17), and an action movie came up on the screen.

"Wanna watch with me Nina?" He questioned.

"Um… sure, why not." I said, shrugging. He handed me a pair of earphones, and I took off the plastic and put them in my ears. I guess they were turned up a little too high, and I jumped as gunshots blasted through the plugs. Chad laughed.

About halfway through the movie, my stomach started to act up. I never did well eating in moving objects. I told Chad that I would be right back, and heading towards the bathroom. Closing the door, I had no time to lock it before I got sick in the toilet.

I spent a few minutes handing over the seat, thankful that this one had not been used before me.

I felt awful. My stomach rumbled.

Airplane chicken: Zero stars. And zero Paradise.

**Thanks for reading! Happy 2012!**


	4. Chapter 4 Fabian

**Hi! I know it has been longer than a week, but I have been super busy. PLEASE review, and thanks for reading!  
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**Disclaimer: …sniffle…I don't own anything! Wah…**

I threw my head back and giggled. Chad was an interesting character. Hilarious, but not really meaning to be and meaning to be. He was somewhere in the middle.

When I had finished up in the bathroom, we finished watching the movie together. It was a little bloody, and I squealed at some parts. After the movie, he wanted to know some stuff.

"So, where are you headed? We don't see a lot of Americans your age." The young man inquired.

"LBS…. Liverpool Boarding School. Im on a scholarship."

"Cool, cool. My school is about twenty minutes away. I go to the public high school. I really want to go to a school somewhere else though."

"Really?" I stated, "I thought you would be the popular guy." I hoped that didn't sound rude.

He gave a slight smile and chuckle. "Well, I guess I am. Not in a snobby way. Mostly because of sports. My father was very athletic, and coached many teams. He presses me to do better and more stuff."

I felt bad for him. I couldn't imagine Gran forcing me to squash a bug. "Do you mind?"

"Nah," Chad responded, shaking his head, his hair flying side to side, "I have gotten quite used to it. Do your folks press you to do anything?"

Goosebumps came upon me heavily. I bit my lip. Deciding not to bother, I shook my head. "I don't know if you think it's a sport, but I am a horse rider."

A warm smile came upon his lips. "It definitely is. Mates say it doesn't count, but that's how my mom met. She's a rider too you know, owns a few racers, and my dad came for a horse race. He saw her, she saw him, and year later they were married. Then, I came along!" Chad kidded, winking at me. I laughed.

"_Ladies and gentlemen, and for that fluff ball that keeps yapping, we will be landing shortly. Please look at your flyers if you need to brief on landing. Thank you for flying with British-America Airlines." _The voice said from above, earning a laugh. Then, if as right on queue, a yap came from the back of the plane. I giggled, and Chad cracked a smile.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Nerves took control over my hands as I walked up to the giant, brick building. It seemed ageless, and covered in moss. I liked it though- it seemed to have a mysterious charm, you know?

I looked down at my outfit, leggings, a plaid shirt, and my converse. I hope this would be okay, Google didn't have a lot of outfits on 'What to wear on your first day to a new school in Liverpool England when your from America, and your also two weeks late hoping not to cause a lot of attention.' … I should have reduced that a little…

As I stood there (pondering if I should go in and maybe interrupt something, or stand there like a total idiot) I heard footsteps crunching on the small pebbles below. I turned around to see a young man in school uniform. He had a curious look on his face, but still smiled and walked up to me.

"Hey! Are you the new student here? At Anubis? Nicole, right? Wait no… N… Nina! Trudy mentioned that you would be coming." The guy who spoke had brown hair, a little darker than mine. His eyes were a sea blue, with a hit of green. I was relieved to find someone that may be friendly. Hopefully the rest are just as polite too.

I smiled as my eyes squinted to block the sunlight. "Yeah! I'm Nina. From America. As you could probably tell by the accent!"

He chuckled. "Nice to meet you. I'm Fabian Rutter. Do you want some help with those bags?" He said, pointing downwards. Pounds of worry and stress lifted off of my chest, now realizing that I would not enter the new territory alone. I nodded, and thanked him.

With bags in hand, and an acquaintance by my side, I took a deep breath and pushed open the heavy doors, to meet my new life.


	5. Chapter 5 Cinnamon Challenge

**Hey my lovely viewers! Have I mentioned that I love you guys? Adore? Like, I could hug you forever? Does that makeup for a long wait? Hopefully.**

**I am working on some one-shots right know. Lots. Actually, there must be at least four. And I recently posted two of them, so go ahead and check them out! They are short! And pretend that the review button is your worst enemy, punch it a bunch of times, and then say nice things to he/she. ;)**

**Okay! I didn't end the last chapter with Paradise, which I wanted to go and hide from someone for pointing that out! I was so embarrassed! So here's the last chapter ending.**

**I don't own HOA! But I love to own reviews!**

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><p>With bags in hand, and an acquaintance by my side, I took a deep breath and pushed open the heavy doors, to meet my new life. Hopefully this could be Paradise?<p>

* * *

><p><em><strong>Also, I reached up to almost 1K hits and visits in a span of three days. I cried!<strong>_

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><p>"Guys, it's simple. I cannot believe you haven't heard of it! All you have to do is take a spoonful of cinnamon, and try to swallow it within sixty seconds. Without water or anything. It's called the cinnamon challenge." I told my fellow housemates, who seemed interested in American customs.<p>

Over the past week, I had gotten to know them pretty well. First off was Fabian, who I was probably closest to. We study together and stuff. Whenever I saw his smile, it was like… being home. He was extremely friendly, and was my shoulder to cry on when I yearned to be back home.

Next was Amber Millington. Ambs was a preppy, buoyant brown-eyed girl. Even though her hair was bright, she didn't happen to be. I shared a room with her, and that room is wall-to-wall pink!

Alfie and Jerome were the two pranksters of the dwelling. Alfie never let a moment go by without being lively. Jerome had played a few pranks, such as dipping my hairbrush in oil. I still think my curls were oily.

Patricia and Mara were good friends. Patricia has been nice to me, although she did help Jerome with his jokes. Mara was dating Jerome, and had recently broken up with Mick. I think they make a pair, Jerome and Mara. Patricia could be judgmental, while her roommate was warm. There is also Joy, who was almost sisters with Patricia. Joy was…well… joyful. She never let a friend be in the dark.

Mick and Eddie are probably the people I know the least. Mick seems very athletic, while Eddie seems flirty. They both have an enormous appetite.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Mara inquired. "I am not sure if I could fancy my boyfriend getting ill." I was shocked at how well Mick handled the word 'boyfriend'. He didn't even stiffen. A smile kept plastered on his face.

"It's not that bad. I promise!"

"Nina if I get cinnamon on my new dress, I will sue. This was shipped from Milan. You know where that is? It's a very nice place. Hand made too. Although I still feel rigid in this dress." Amber stated, and seemed to trail off into fabrics. I spun my eyes into the back of my head.

"Just try it!" There were mumbles amongst everyone. The guys were more chilled about it than the girls.

"On the count of three. One, two, thr-"

"Wait! Shouldn't you do it too! Just because you're the American, doesn't mean you don't have to." Patricia accused. I sighed, before picking up a spoon and filling it with the spice.

"As I was saying," I glared at Patricia. It actually was horrific, but at the same time, kinda fun. "On the count of three. One, two, three!"

A wave of coughing fits seized the house. Red clouds spread from our lips, and every pair of eyes was ajar. Cinnamon clouded the air, adding to the difficulty of effort to inhaling air.

However, I seemed to have a strange motivation, and strived to consume the seasoning. It could have been a miracle, or it could just have been summer afternoons with Gran giving it all our efforts, but I did it. I swallowed that bitter spoonful of hell.

As a rush of pride filled over me, I stood to my feet and stuck my fist in the air. However, my former housemates seemed not to notice.

Amber had ran to the fridge to get something to drink, while Patricia, not caring about her outfit, grabbed the flexible faucet and stuck it in her mouth. The boys, not wanting to seem like whips, tried to veil their gagging. I did spot Eddie, who smiled at them.

"Sweet relief!" I heard Amber cry, as she finished drinking a glass of milk. Fabian and Alfie stumbled over to get a glass. Everyone else seemed to spit out the cinnamon.

"Eddie, did you do it?" I questioned.

With a proud smile he said back to me, "Talent of the American's."

I laughed, and as soon as the house calmed down with choking, it roared up again- with laughter.

Maybe… maybe this _could _be Paradise?

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**

**So? Please review; I want to know if you have tried the cinnamon challenge! And if you do, don't blame it on me! I haven't tried it, but I am going to! I saw some video's for it... it looks bad!**


	6. Chapter 6 Child Abuse

**I would never stop Paradise, so… April fools?**

**However, this is no joke. My best friend/sister really did go through all of this, and so much more. Review please!**

**I don't own HOA.**

"Nina, I need to talk to you." Amber sighed, patting a free area on her quilt. I smiled, put down my _People_ magazine, and sat down Indian style.

"Shoot."

"Well, it has been a few weeks now, and I feel like I trust you a lot more than anyone else. I…" She paused, biting her lip. "I want to tell you… the truth… about my mum."

There was an odd gap between her sentences. I had noticed it a while ago, when she was deep in thought.

"Just promise me something, yeah? I want you to believe me." Our eyes met, but hers watered. I nodded, before giving her a squeeze of her hand. Amber breathed in.

"Well, as you know my parent's are divorced. I have been living with my mum for a while. I have been waiting for about eight years to decide whose permanent custody I will be in. The date is May 23. I really don't know how to say this. I will give it my best." She started, her eyes fogging.

"Amber, just say what you need to say." My body tensed, preparing for something dramatic.

"…My mum… she was an okay mum. Normal until about third grade. She started drinking heavily, along with smoking and doing drugs. My dad realized that it wasn't okay, so he moved out. My brother, Jack and I stayed with her. Jack was just a baby. I tried my best to carry on as a regular kid, but it was hard with parents. I will just come out with it. My mum abused me."

Immediately the playing of my bracelet stopped, as my head turned upright slowly. I looked into her gray eyes. I started to choke, trying to hold back the tears. My throat burned and closed up.

We sat like that for a while, both of us shedding silent tears. The fire in my throat suddenly took dominance over me, as I started to weep.

I wrapped my arms around her shoulders, which seemed to be moist. We held each other, Amber and I, for a time that seemed not to cease.

After hours of tissues and tears, it sank in that Amber was a victim of child abuse. My blood boiled within me, clashing with the shivers that were spread throughout my spine.

"Amber?" I questioned the sobbing girl. Her blond head picked up at the sound of my voice. Both of our faces were crimson red, eyes bloated and bloodshot.

(A.N.- There will be swearing in the part below, so please be aware. Thank you.)

"Your mother," I continued, "is a fucking cunt. Anyone who would abuse such a gorgeous, smart, and caring friend is a freak. Who should just go down and rot in _hell, _where I hope _she _gets _abused _every day of the rest of her _pathetic _life." I spat.

Amber's crying stopped, and gave a small chuckle at my insult. I smiled at her, and moved her bans behind her ear.

"Have you told anyone else?" Needing to know was an important question, and my heart pleaded that she was in jail.

"Yeah. The court knows, and so do the therapists and my dad. They don't believe me. The judge always has favor of the women. There is a lawsuit against him. Unfortunately, we cannot switch because I am not eighteen. My mom wants' me, but mostly Jack. Since he is younger, she would get more years of child support.

"Jack feels bad for her, and always gives in to her traps. He doesn't know any better. Jack's only ten. There is so much more to the court date than I can explain.

"My mom is re-married to a guy named Walter. He has four sons. They all do drugs; in fact, they hide them in my laundry basket. She always claims to say, "I never did anything," but then sends me I'm Sorry stuff, like links to a song… you believe me, yeah?"

I shook my head and sighed at her innocence. Her face changed to show an anxious and almost pained look. "Of course I believe you. I never liked your mom, even when I saw her in that photo… what a bitch!" I cursed, turning my head to the side. Alexandra came to mind.

"I was abuse too, you know." Her eyes widened. "Bullied actually. Seems like we have a lot in common, huh?" I laughed dryly, with my bitter sense of humor.

For hours we talked and revealed events about our past. I found out that the custody date has been postponed over twenty times. She has to meet with the GAL, an acronym for Guardian at Litum. They were supposed to help her be with the safe parent in divorce cases, but tend to interrogate you.

It was terrible, hearing about the things that happened. If I ever saw Amber's mom, _ever, _I would let her know my true feelings about that bitch.

Swearing is something I do rarely, but in this case, I found it highly necessary.

I told her all about Alexandra, and my old school in America. Eventually we were called down to dinner, with tear stained cheeks and all. Bounding down the old staircase, one more tear fell, along with one thought.

_Forget about my Paradise, where's Ambers?_


	7. Chapter 7 Euros

**Hey guys! How are you all doing? Good, I hope. Anyway, I want you all to take in consideration of entering a contest that I am entering, The Collector Revealed by sibuna-daughter-of- artimis. And I want to get to at least 50 reviews! Thanks!**

**OoOoOoO**

"Prayer requests, anyone?" Our teacher, Mrs. Brown smiled and asked. I raised my hand along with a few others, to share the decline in Gran's health. I loved Mrs. Brown; she was the only teacher that seemed to care about us.

"Nina?"

"Well, my Gran has-" I was interrupted by a few 'what's?' in the classroom.

"Did you say Mrs. Odel?" Amber spoke up, putting her nail file down. The class burst out into laughter. I giggled along with everyone, while shaking my head.

"No-" I denied, through fits of chuckling, "I said my _Gran. _She is ill." Even though the subject wasn't funny, the amusement did not die down.

After hearing multiple prayers, Mrs. Brown looked at each of us in the eye with a serious expression plastered on her face.

"I have something to share." She spoke, and we all looked up to meet her bright blue eyes.

"Usually I don't share this until about May, but I trust you all." We nodded our heads, encouraging her to go on.

"Well as you may have all guessed, I am not very rich. I barely have enough to make it through the week. I am also divorced, and you know about my three little _angels._" She made us grin, using emphasis on the word 'angel.'

"My husband left me one morning. I had everything. Homes, pets, money, friends, everything. One day he got up, and just left. I knew he was cheating on me, but I didn't exactly care. I thought if I gave him time, it would stop.

"The court said I had 30 days to leave my house and pack up. But with no money and two teens and one baby, it was difficult. I was living on the streets. The few valuable I could keep, I put in a storage house that my friend owned. All my others left me. That night, the shed burned down with my things and all. I had literally nothing but the clothes on my back.

"I got a job at various placed, before signing an application here. I got the job, and have been working here ever since." She finished, and a few tears leaked from the girls eyes. My lip quivered for my teacher, basically my best friend.

"My son is getting married. Our laptop broke so we cannot play a slideshow. It would be 200 Euros to patch it." Mrs. Brown smiled at the thought of her son. I did the math in my head, 200 Euros is about 268 U.S. dollars. If there were twenty students in the class, divided by…

I finally solved my equation. If we all brought in 10 Euros… we would have enough money to fix the computer! I just needed to tell the class.

I whispered by idea to Amber, who smiled. She looked at me and smiled.

"How do we get her out of the room?" I asked.

"No problem." Amber replied, hinting a smile. She glanced over at Mick, who she had recently broken up with, and slapped him in the face.

"Ow! What was that for Amber?" He exclaimed, standing up from his chair.

"Amber Millington! Out in the hallways with me, right now." Mrs. Brown said, and they went out in the hall to speak.

I stood up immediately, and quickly spoke. "Guys, if we all bring in ten Euros, we would have enough money to help Mrs. Brown pay for her computer!" I said, and eyes lit up at the idea. We all agreed, just in time for Amber to come back in.

"Sorry Mick." She mumbled.

* * *

><p>The next day, students pilled into our homeroom teacher's room. Homeroom teacher's room. That's a lot of room.<p>

We had all come in early to surprise her, and just to make sure we had Alfie distract her by bombarding questions while I collected the money. Everyone had voted that I give it to her, because of my idea. A few people forgot theirs, but I used spare money to bring in about 30 Euros. I was excited to see her reaction.

We all sat down, as we heard Alfie's voice travel down the hallway.

"But what if a cat and dog got together? Would it be a cog?" Alfie asked. Mrs. Brown sighed as she stepped through the door. She stopped, and her eyebrows got together in confusion.

"What are you all doing?" She questioned. Everyone looked at me as I stepped forward.

"Well, we know that your son is getting married, so we decided to help you fix your computer. We all brought in 10 Euros." I spoke softly.

Her reaction was clear. She was touched. I handed her the money, as tears welled in her eyes.

"I can't accept this. It's too much." Our teacher handed the money back to me.

"Yes, you can. We want you to have it. We beg you!" To exaggerate my point, Jerome got down on his knees. He may love money, but inside I could tell that Jerome was a deep person.

She nodded, and the room was filled with cheers.

"_It's getting closer to Paradise." _The thought went through not just my head, but our teacher's as well.

**OoOoOoO**

**Oh. I don't own anything!**


	8. Chapter 8 Praying

**Hey! Long time no see, sorry. I have been super busy, and working out five days a week. Yeah.**

**This is a real chapter, filled with real events from my real life. In other words, it's real. So… review! **

**OoOoOoO**

Life, for a flash, seemed like Paradise. But have you ever had that dismay, with the cause unknown? Yeah, that would be now. Knowing my life, nothing can ever be at ease. I remember the morning, it seemed so regular.

* * *

><p>I swirled my russet coffee, and the cream slowly trickled in, causing the color to lighten. I inhaled the saccharine scent, and sighed. Coffee wasn't as popular in England, but Trudy and I were both addicted to the liquid energy.<p>

Sitting down, the creaky chair squeaked. I leaned forward and rested my elbows on the table. My lids slowly shut.

"Hey Nina." Fabian greeted cheerfully. I smiled.

Fabian was my best friend here, with Amber. He was always so well mannered, but really was protected and loyal. I tripped and twisted my ankle for example, and he half carried me back to my bedroom.

"How'd you sleep?" I asked, sitting up.

"Pretty well, although Eddie's constant midnight snacking can be irritating." He grinned.

The rest of the house soon piled in, eager to dig in to Trudy's eggs.

* * *

><p>Stacking my papers and books into random places, I closed my navy locker door before anything could slip out. I crossed the stampede of students to reach Fabian.<p>

"Wanna walk to Biology?" I questioned, flashing the brunette a smile. We had both advanced up into the senior's science class. Our academics had showed it.

"Sure," Fabian replied. We made small talk on the way, speaking of the weather and such. As I entered the classroom, I saw our teacher, Mr. Smith give us the same old 'Creeper-teacher-who-wants'-to-harm-you' type of look.

Mr. Smith was a man in his late 20's, with jet-black hair. He also had a goatee. His greasy locks were contaminated with a bad case of dandruff. The teacher was also a former worker at a fast-food station, and the stench of him and the room reeked of bad body odor and rotten onions.

My body stiffened as I drew nearer to him. I was always frightened of the man, not by his looks (although that may had something to do with it) but I constantly received an ominous aurora from him. Fabian grabbed my hand and smiled, causing my muscles to relax a bit. We began class as usual, picking up our discussion about meiosis.

"Students. Can anyone tell me what meiosis is?" The room stayed silent. "Does anyone remember?"

Gina raised her hand slowly. "Meiosis is the type of cell separation that ends with two daughter cells each with half of the chromosome number of the parent's cell."

"Good. Now what is another name for the term?" Mr. Smith droned on and on, and I soon started daydreaming.

Alexandra crossed my mind once again. So did Amber's mom. The two people I wanted to take down. Ms. Millington had postponed the court date once again. I pitied Amber, but I thin-

"Nina!" Fabian said, shaking me lightly on the shoulder. I blinked my eyes, and quickly apologized. He just laughed and told me that class had ended. My orbs traveled around the empty room. I blushed at me being so oblivious.

"C'mon." Fabian replied, gesturing towards the door. I nodded and grabbed my stuff.

Mr. Smith looked up from his paperwork and desk. "Nina, may I have a word?" I glanced at Fabian; he just nodded at our conversation throughout our eyes. Sometimes best friends can do that, communicate through their eyes. Warning flashes went off and buzzed in my head, but I pushed my anxiety aside.

"Sure," I spoke, walk over to his desk. I heard the door close from behind me, as adrenaline pumped through my veins. I swallowed a hard lump gathering in my throat.

"Sit, please." He commanded, and I did as told.

"I just wanted to commend you on your efforts in class." Mr. Smith said, smiling. _I haven't really participated… _I replied in my mind, but accepted the compliment and thanked him.

What shocked me next was him placing his hand on my upper thigh. I drew in a breath and my body tensed, and my bones shifted to sit up right. I stood up to leave, not wanting to experience what would come next.

"I really have to get to my next class." My voice defended, hinting a vestigial amount of trepidation and panic. He grabbed my wrist firmly.

"You won't thank me?" He questioned, getting up and inching closer to me. I gave my best efforts to shake off his steel grip, but with no avail I was forced to stay in his clutch.

Smoothly, I gave my calmest smile. "Well thank you. But I really have to go."

"No," He cooed, "You can stay here." The teacher's free hand grabbed my other. I glanced up at the ceiling, praying to God that someone would burst into the door.

My eyes caught sight of my tote bag. It had pepper spray and a pocketknife in it, but out of my reach. I started to feel tears escape and run down my face. They burned, yet the goose bumps I felt did not pass.

I know that I had no choice. As soon as Mr. Smith started shuffling towards me, his breath on my neck, I shrieked.

"Fabian! FABIAN!" My eyes were wide, as I screamed for help. More droplets of tears ran down my face, as I started to bawl. "HEL-" I was suddenly cut off by Mr. Smith letting go of one of my hands, his reaching towards my face and slapping it. He quickly bruised my wet skin.

An instant after that, someone banged on the door. _My savior. _I glanced at the knob, as it twisted, letting Fabian swiftly respond.

His voice was seeping with anger. "Get off of her." My friend's eyes squinted, and his feet ran over to rip me from my attacker's grasp. We didn't waste a second before running out the door.

When we reached the end of the hallway, I finally collapsed into Fabian's arms. I sank down, and my emotions took control. Fabian's arms snaked around me, and I leaned on him. My mind felt intruded. Stunned.

There we were, two best friend's sitting in the middle of the hallway, sobbing. Fabian's eyes soon clogged up.

"I despise seeing you cry Nina." His velvety voice soothed me, but only for a short time. People swarmed around us, questioning us and some called from a teacher. I nestled my head into Fabian's chest, breathing in his scent. I was shaken.

As he planted a kiss on my head, he gently whispered into my ear, "Don't worry. You will find your Paradise."


	9. AN My absence

How should I start this?

As you guys may know, I disappeared off the face of the earth for the summer. You may be angry, but I do actually have a perfectly plausible reason.

Over the summer, I became very ill. I was in hospitals for most of the summer. I am getting better, but I have to go to lots of appointments. Writing will always be with me. I promise I will continue writing, and if I ever do stop, I will give all of you notice.

I will admit it. My writing is not professional, neat, or any of that. However, whatever I write brings me a lot of confidence and happiness. That is what matter the most to me. My stories are not beta-ed, long, or perfect. Actually, they are mostly just babbles. So, you anonymous haters out there: My stories may be terrible. But that's a judgment, not a fact. A fact would be that everyone has an opinion of my stories, or that I do write. A fact is also that I love to do it.

Thank you guys for listening. I am doing better, so no need to worry! I hope to update soon, as well as editing most of my other stories (possibly).

~Mia

P.S. Oak is doing well!

P.P.S. Oak is my pillow pet, and I write everything with his help.


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